An edX learner with a true passion for education, Muhandiramalage, a chemistry teacher, shares the story of how edX helped her gain knowledge in a vast range of subjects.

I’ve been working as a high school chemistry teacher in a British Curriculum School in the United Arab Emirates for the past 18 years. I’m originally from Sri Lanka, but due to civil war, my husband and I migrated to the UAE.

In Sri Lanka, I had been working as a marine biologist. As soon as we came to the UAE, I tried to follow the same line of work, but here there aren’t many opportunities for women to work as marine biologists.

My other dream career was to work as a teacher or a lecturer. Fortunately, I was recruited as a chemistry teacher, and due to the lack of qualified teachers, I also worked as a substitute teacher for biology, physics, and mathematics.

Eventually, I began searching for affordable online education courses to enhance my own education, and I came across edX. As a teacher, I should be knowledgeable, and edX made me a perfect teacher. To be frank, I never thought I could be this experienced in such a vast range of subjects.

I have also enrolled in another six courses and am waiting for them to start!

Now, I have a new dream: to open a job-oriented educational institute in Sri Lanka or the UAE. I’ll definitely do it now that I have enough motivation.

Finally, I want to deliver a message to future students: edX provides education for everybody in any discipline. The courses are organized using modern technology, which makes them easier and faster to complete. The virtual laboratory helped me gain practical knowledge of the lessons, and you can achieve a year’s worth of knowledge within three months. The friendly staff of scholars are so helpful and can answer my questions within a few hours, even though I’m thousands of miles away.

I also feel secure because if I happen to change my career in the future, I have a lot of knowledge and experience in different fields through which I can navigate with a high level of confidence.

The online course content is equivalent to the content that you would find in a traditional classroom setting, and you don’t miss any information. I’m thankful that edX brings the university to my home instead of me having to go there myself!